


Skater Boi

by nicostolemybones (fatherlords)



Series: AUctober 2019 [20]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Anxiety, Coping, Depression, First Meeting, Loneliness, M/M, learning to skate, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21590938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatherlords/pseuds/nicostolemybones
Summary: Will wishes he could skate and feels too old to start to learn until he sees a boy his age trying to learnI do not give permission for my work to appear on any apps nor do I consent to my work being reposted anywhere. If you see my work outside of my tumblr or outside of any blogs/accounts I mention in my fics, please report/contact them or inform me. If you report them, do not report as if it were your own work.My tumblr is @nicohasahappymeal
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: AUctober 2019 [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550413
Kudos: 38





	Skater Boi

Will had always wanted to be a typical skater boy. He’d always looked at the skate parks in awe and wonder, watched the cool kids effortlessly skate along the pavements and effortlessly do tricks. But Will knew nothing about skateboarding, nor was he allowed to skateboard. So he watched from a distance every day, sitting on a bench in the park, looking over. Day in, day out, every school day, for the past six years. He’d watched the cool kids grow up, from failing every trick to effortlessly performing. He’d watched the kids grow and leave, older than him. He’d watched as the gangs started occupying the skate park, watched as a place of fun and skill had turned into a minefield of hypodermic needles and blood patches. Sometimes he’d still sit on the bench, thinking about the opportunity long passed to ever learn to skate. It was such a simple dream- he didn’t care if he never knew any tricks, he just wanted to skate. He figured he never could. 

Until one day, a boy cleared up the skate park, with thick gloves and a litter picker. He seemed sad, lonely. Will didn’t question it- he was probably doing community service. But then he returned the next day, awkwardly carrying a skateboard at his front. He put it down, and shakily put a foot on it. He was just about getting his balance, barely moving at all and wobbling. He was just like Will, Will thought, trying to find freedom and fun, learning, trying to find his place in the world. He fell a few times, stayed until it was getting dark. Will kept coming back, and so did the boy. Weeks passed, until he could just about steer on flat ground. He was still nervous on the board. Will kept thinking about how that could have been him. Until finally, he walked over to the skate park, sitting on top of the bowl thingy. Will didn’t know what it was called. 

The boy arrived at the skate park a small while after Will had sat down, and he seemed nervous. Will looked around and smiled softly. “Sorry,” the boy said quietly, “do you uh- mind if I uh… skate here?”

“Of course not!” Will said quickly, “I uh- I always wanted to learn how to skate, but I never had the chance to…”

“Oh…” the boy said quietly, awkwardly sitting besides Will, “I uh… I can’t really skate…”

“I uh… I see you sometimes… you’re doing great…”

“Thanks,” the boy blushed. 

“Sorry, I’m a little anxious,” Will huffed, nervously tapping his leg. “I thought skating might help with my anxiety…”

“I uh… I started skating to get me out of bed of a morning,” the boy replied, “I have depression…”

“Does… it help?”

“A little,” the boy said, “it gets me outside. To go outside I have to wake up, get dressed, shower, exercise. So it helps me to keep on top of self care.”

“I wanted to be a doctor,” Will said quietly, “but I just… I’m too anxious to get through calculus, let alone get through college and work…” 

“Maybe one day,” the boy said softly, “maybe you can’t do those things right now, but one day you might be able to. Don’t give up. Accept your limitations but don’t give up on your dreams. Adjust the path you take, move the goals closer if you have to, but don’t think you’re incapable when you don’t know if you ever will be.”

“Where’d you read that,” Will asked with a small smile. 

“I learned it myself,” the boy said, “I had to drop out of school. I uh… I had a rough life and uh… I had to let go of a lot of dreams, put them on hold. I almost give up all the time, but that’s… that’s okay, because I haven’t. I don’t always succeed, but I try.”

“Do you think you could like… teach me to skate?” Will asked, although the anxiety was dizzying at this point.

“Sure,” the boy said, “I’m Nico, by the way.”

“I’m Will,” he replied, and Nico stood slowly, holding out his hand. Will accepted, and Nico helped him to his feet, placing his board on the floor. 

“You’ve gone pale,” Nico noted. 

“Nausea from the anxiety,” Will explained, “I always feel like I’m gonna throw up or die so… I’m okay.”

“Oh. Oof,” Nico frowned, “will you be okay?”

“I will,” Will replied, with a small smile at his name pun, and Nico gestured to the board. Will put his foot on it, and Nico instinctively held his waist to stop him from falling. Will blushed, unable to hide it, and tried to put his other foot on the board. He lost his balance and sent the board rolling forwards without him, but it was okay, because Nico was there to catch him.


End file.
